our defensive structure and technique is way better than last season,

Once or IF, we get a better FB and SO, that can pass at a faster speed, our attack will improve.

Tonight, we lacked power,all our big boppas was sat in the stand.

Heremaia (as you accept) and Horne. Whilst Horne has been here for years, Gentle hasn't been, so he won't have been training to Gentle's methods as much as others with the time he's spent injured.

I agree with your general point that we should be better than we are even with the players missing, but I think you're painting the situation as overly simplistic and downplaying the mitigating circumstances out of anger.

I think of tonight's 17:

5 won't be here next year (Turner, Manu, Aspinwall, Nicklas, Radford);
3 won't be in our first choice 17 (McGoldrick, Crooks, Pitts);
Horne will be fullback rather than halfback, and tbf has had 2 good games when he's played there this season;
Seymour will hopefully have a halfback partner of the necessary quality to share the playmaking responsibility;
Lynch should have other props taking some the burden he's having to carry;
Watts will be much fitter and more used to his teammates on the back of a full pre-season.

Which leaves Whiting and Westerman, who I thought were amongst our better performers, Yeaman (who had an uncharacteristically sloppy performance, but is one of the most dependable players in the squad normally) and Briscoe, who is clearly a class act when supplied with good possession.

With the right acquisitions I still think we could be much better next year.

Tonight has come close to being the straw that's broken the camel's back. Yes, at times some things we did were woeful but other things for a depleted side gave hope and a sense of us 'giving it a go'.
What upset me more than taking nearly 2 hours to get there from only 20 miles away was the officials performance.
I'm not going to go down the road of blaming them for the loss even though my phone was going mad in my pocket from people I know who support other teams were all saying Leeds' first 14 points were .
It is the fact that home or away, whenever you play against a perceived 'top 4 team' you so do not get any rub of the green from the officials.
I've accepted this I suppose for a long time, perhaps like many others. Sorry, no more. No other sport (apart from football at Old Trafford) would put up with such one sided decision making.
I love rugby league and will love Hull FC till I pop my clogs but come on, I like many others work damned hard for my money. Money that literally runs into thousands each season when it's all totted up.
I'm seriously considering walking away and spending it on a damned good holiday instead unless something changes.
Sorry if you don't agree but right now that's how I feel.

I think this is your old habit of reading into things and then complaining that [iyour[/i expectations have not been met. I've not personally seen or heard anything that has the club saying we [iwill[/i finish in the top 4, only that that is the aim. Every team in any sport should be setting their aims higher than they can probably achieve, it's how you drive yourself to improve. Top 4 was always unlikely, and as soon as McKinnon left it became almost certainly unattainable. From the very start I've thought/said that 6th would be a good season this year, and I've still not changed my mind on that.

They do give a certain amount of indication, they show you just how far down the line of reserves/signings you've gone to cobble your team together.

It's 9.

i think Jake and Bet should become the new PR for Hull FC. It would be like listening to Leonard Cohen after a night on the vodka.

You will be alright after a good nights sleep.

I'd say we need a stand off, 2-3 props, 1 or 2 backrowers (depending on Tickle), a fullback, a winger, and arguably still a centre. I'd do without the fullback for next year if we can't get the right one.

The things is, in terms of ability in the first choice 17, I actually think that this year we were possibly only missing the stand-off, centre, winger and another good prop. I think the real problems lie in the gulf between our first choice and fringe players (which has been correctly identified as the neglect of our youth system, but will take time to fix), and the way we seem to just give things up as a bad job too easily and go through the motions. I think this latter is influenced by attitude, and over the past couple of months by some players possibly knowing their numbers are up.

It could make a massive difference next year just having a squad with more players who want to be here and who the coach wants to/can work with.

I think certain people take losing too seriously. I don't like to see my team lose, especially if they don't play well, but I'm certainly not going to react like Denbo or Lewis or JTP anymore. Life's too short. We have a new management, coaching set up who have actually improved the team in certain areas. Gentle know's what he wants for the future of the team, so I'm waiting on next season. If Gentle has the team he wants and the players have the attitude to playing and coaching that Gentle feels alot of this current side don't have I would expect a marked improvement.

Thoroughly agree.

Couldnt agree more!

Not posted for a while and wont be in the future (not missing owt granted) but I am sick and tired of the officilas deciding the outcome of Super League games nowadays. Not a knee jerk reaction but a build up of watching totally inadequate referees all year determine which side will win the game. Momentum changing calls and down right poor decisions really hold the game back.

Going back to the Saints first game at their new ground when Salford started the game the stronger, played Saints off the park only to be dragged down by the usual crappy refs calls of holding down, not standing square and having a clean pair of shorts! Saints get the roll on (thanks sir) and 3 tries later the game is gone.

I actually think Gentle is the man to take Hull forward and good times are ahead but I hate watching rugby and spending all my time shouting at the man in the middle.

The players should dictate the end result not the referee.

Agree.

hull were certainly shafted tonight. woeful ref.